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A second-generation Tonex pack built from my own Matchless HC-30 (“Head Coach”) and Matchless Phoenix (“Red Bird”) heads. V2 keeps the sparkle, punch, and harmonic depth you loved in V1, but adds tighter lows, smoother gain transitions, and the most “amp-in-the-room” dynamics I’ve ever bottled.
PROCESS:
Cabinet: Matchless ESS112, factory-loaded with a Matchless-branded Celestion G12H-75 (tight bottom, articulate mids, extended top).
Mics: Shure SM57 for focus and edge + Beyerdynamic M160 ribbon for warmth and weight.
Technique: Dual-mic blend, captured in Advanced mode for maximum resolution—no heavy EQ, compression, or saturation baked in.
What you get — 24 captures total (12 per amp)
12AX7 Channel
I. Dirty Bright
II. Dirty Dark
III. Clean Bright
IV. Clean Dark
EF86 Channel
V. Dirty Bright
VI. Dirty Dark
VII. Clean Bright
VIII. Clean Dark
Jumped
IX. Dirty Bright
X. Dirty Dark
XI. Clean Bright
XII. Clean Dark
What’s different with V2?
Jumped channels included – the fat, three-dimensional roar of both preamp channels cascaded together.
Clean and dirty instances for every circuit – five flavors per amp, ten total captures.
Super-dynamic & articulate – responds like the real amp under your fingers.
Responsive, harmonic, crispy – every pick nuance turns into bloom and bite.
Sounds identical to the actual amps – captured with minimal processing.
WHERE THESE SHINE
Fly dates, studio sessions, church rigs—anywhere you need no-compromise Matchless tone without the cab, mic, and volume hassles. Drop these into your modeller, add your favorite pedals, and you’re mix-ready in seconds.
tips:
I like input trim at 0 for these. The new enhanced captures seem very sensitive to input trim, so higher feels a little weird to me. That being said, these are extremely responsive to any gain or EQ adjustment. All of these captures come quite a bit hotter than listed (intentionally). So lower input trim to 0, adjust gain down (or up, if you’re spicy), and let em rip. Also, feel free to use Presence & Depth to adjust treble and bass. These are very powerful and helpful parameters to either tame brightness or bass, or bring some breath or lows back!